Draft:Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage

Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage is a religious ceremony held at Baishatun Gongtian Temple in Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. Believers and temple staff carry the Mazu sedan chair across Miaoli County, Taichung City, Changhua County, Yunlin County, etc., on foot to Beigang Chaotian Temple. The time, route, stop, and rest locations of the pilgrimage are not fixed, and believers feel that they are determined by Mazu's will.

History
Baishatun was formerly known as "Baishadun." During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, immigrants settled there. At that time, the ancestors invited the assembled wood carving statue of Mazu from Beigang and enshrined statues in the houses. Therefore, believers hold a yearly ceremony to return Mazu statues to the Beigang Chaotian Temple. This ceremony lasted until the second year of Tongzhi (1863). After the construction of the Baishatun Gongtian Temple, the ceremony gradually evolved into a round-trip pilgrimage journey of about 300-400 kilometers on foot every year. Since the ceremony had local cultural significance, the Ministry of Culture registered it as a Significant Folklore On June 18, 2010.

Ritual Activities
The Mazu pilgrimage ceremony in Baishatun includes raising the head flag, starting the journey, entering the temple, entering the fire, returning to the temple, visiting the village, and opening the furnace. The most significant difference from other pilgrimage activities is that the number of days and routes of pilgrimage is not fixed every year. Believers feel that Mazu determines the number of days and route of the pilgrimage through the sedan chair. On the 15th of the 12th lunar month each year, the rotating furnace owner throws the moon blocks and asks Mazu to determine the pilgrimage schedule for the following year. The order of the ceremony is as follows:

1. Placing the head flag: Three days before the pilgrimage, the chairman of Gongtian Temple and the rotating furnace master will hold the flag, salute, and worship Mazu. Then, they fix the flag on the dragon pillar in front of the temple to announce the start of Mazu's annual pilgrimage in Baishatun.

2. Starting the journey: At the beginning of the ceremony, Mazu boards the sedan chair and takes a seat. The sedan chair goes to the vestibule to wait for the "mountainside Mazu" from the Nangang area of Houlong Township to gather and take the sedan chair to start the Beigang pilgrimage.

3. Entering the fire ceremony: The most crucial pilgrimage ceremony is held by the abbot of Chaotian Temple. The abbot ignites joss paper with the perpetual bright lamp in the Chaotian Temple and puts it in the "Wannian Incense Fire" furnace. Afterward, the abbot uses a fire spoon to draw the holy fire to the "Fire Jar" in Baishatun and puts it into the "Incense Bearer." After the bearer is affixed with a seal, it returns to Baishatun, symbolizing the endless spread of Mazu's incense for thousands of years.

4. Opening the furnace: After returning to the temple and settling down, the Mazu and the fire jar are brought to the main shrine. They are infused with the aura of thousands of years of incense and wait 12 days before the furnace is opened.

5. Believers holding incense: The Mazu pilgrimage activity in Taiwan started in the Qing Dynasty. Believers accompanying the pilgrimage are called "believers holding the incense," which means the "strong men" of the family carry a net bag containing an incense flag, joss paper, straw sandals, dry food, an umbrella, and simple clothes to walk with the sedan chair day and night. The believers also take turns carrying the sedan chair for Mazu.

6. Lifting the sedan chair: Regardless of gender, nationality (even foreigners), or race, all believers can carry Mazu's sedan chair. This has become a significant feature of the Mazu pilgrimage in Baishatun.